Bubble Baths and Stolen Moments
by BitsOFluffNNonsense
Summary: Newlywed Elena and Mateo discover that converting half of her study into an extension of his workshop provides more—er— distractions than expected. A peek at a spicy though sweet stolen moment in the middle of a busy day.


Surely he was in heaven and Elena was an angel.

Mateo couldn't help the lazy, satisfied smile curving across his lips. How could he seeing as he had the one he adored in his arms, draped across his chest as if she hadn't a care in the world? Complete and utter bliss was the only way to describe the sensation flowing from the top of his disheveled curls to the tips of his toes.

Pulling her a little closer, he kissed her hair and smiled more widely when she quietly murmured her approval—his fingers idly brushing the soft, sensitive skin along her spine.

Truly, it was times like this when he completely understood Elena's desire to stay in bed all day, except—

They weren't in their bed.

Eyes fluttering open, he took in the disaster that was now his work table––which they had somehow ended up lying tangled in each other's arms on, their clothes abandoned on the floor. The surface was littered with herbs and flowers in various stages of being finely chopped, crushed and mixed, his hours of work that day destroyed––again.

Somehow, Mateo couldn't bring himself to be too terribly concerned about it.

His gaze traced the elegant curve of Elena's back, down her thigh and to her toes. He chuckled. She had little bits of lavender and rosemary stuck in her hair. Not only that, but it seemed the herbal pastes and tinctures he'd so carefully crafted had been spilled over the table surface. He blushed as he noticed pastes smeared across the surface of their skin––in their enthusiasm, they failed to notice the mess they were making.

Well, at least they smelled good.

Thankful that at least it had been simple ingredients and not actual magical potions—which could have had disastrous effects—Mateo shook his head and reached a free hand up to start picking bits of herb from Elena's hair.

"How does this always happen to us, mi amor?" he asked, amused as he rubbed at a spot of purple lavender paste on her shoulder.

Curving her bare leg sensually around the crook of his hip, Elena tilted her head back so she could meet his gaze, grinning wickedly. "I don't know, querido. I suppose you're just too desirable for your own good. When I see you so focused on your work––you get this look in your eye and I just have to kiss you. I can't help it!"

As if to prove her point, she pressed a series of soft kisses along his jaw.

Mateo rolled his eyes good naturedly. "I suppose converting half of your study into an extension of my workshop wasn't as productive as we thought," he mused, idly running his fingers through her hair, twirling a strand around a finger.

"Mmm…" Elena murmured against his skin, her lips sending heat flashing from where she paid special attention to his jaw, his chin, his throat. "Especially when we have a tendency to wreck all of your hard work—how many times does that make this week?"

"Four," Mateo said, matter-of-factly, "Perhaps it wouldn't be so messy if someone," he poked her in the side, earning a squeal of protest, "could control herself long enough for us to make it to the bed––"

"Excuse me?!" Elena exclaimed, propping herself up on her elbows and glaring down, her eyes flashing with mock outrage. "If memory serves correctly, I sat on your lap for a sweet, innocent kiss and someone," she jabbed an accusing finger in his chest, "picked me up and threw me down on the table!"

"Threw you?" Mateo scoffed, raising a sardonic eyebrow, slipping one hand lazily behind his head, "You're being a little dramatic, don't you think?"

Elena giggled. "Perhaps just a little, but somehow we managed to move from me sitting in your lap to us sprawled over your work table, covered in magical plants and herbs. I'm pretty sure it involved you physically moving me," she grinned wickedly, running a suggestive hand across the planes of his chest. "The chair would have been just fine for me," she purred.

Chuckling, Mateo shook his head in mock exasperation, raising a teasing eyebrow. "Of it course it would have been, mi amor. I suppose you too are just too desirable for your own good. I just can't help myself when I'm around you." He glanced around at the scattered vials and plants and said, "Well, regardless, I suppose there's a mess to clean up now. Lucky for us, I found a spell that can clean this up in a trice and save most of my work."

"That's my clever wizard." Stroking his cheek, her lips twitched up into a feline smile as her eyes ran suggestively up and down the length of his body. "But, the real question is, do you have a spell to clean us up? Much as I enjoy seeing bits of flowers stuck in your hair, we should probably at least get the purple and green smudges off of our skin before dinner. I don't think I can handle yet another of Abuela's smug grins."

Chuckling, Mateo sat up, shaking his head, "Yeah, she does have a tendency to act like a cat who's caught a canary whenever she notices evidence of these little interludes."

He sprung nimbly from the work table and grinned roguishly as he snatched up his tamborita and strutted from the room, calling over his shoulder, "But, to answer your question, yes, mi amor. I do."

Elena propped herself up on one elbow, watching him leave, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Umm––where do you think you are going––naked and with your tamborita?"

"You'll see," came the cryptic reply from the other room.

Elena chuckled to herself and slid from the table, stretching luxuriously and brushing loose bits of rosemary and lavender from her arms and midriff.

Following the sound of his voice and the tapping of his drum wand, she found him in the washroom. Natural light from the arching windows overlooking Avalor bay flooded the space. Mateo stood over their enormous bath tub––an upgrade she'd indulged in shortly after the wedding––directing his tamborita as he cast a water spell, a heating spell and finally he conjured a mountain of bubbles to create a luxurious bubble bath for two.

Sniffing the air she caught the scent of lavender and vanilla wafting from the warm waters of the tub. The entire scene was rather inviting––especially seeing as it included her favorite wizard who looked rather warm and inviting himself standing there with his back to her, still naked from head to toe.

Elena bit her lip as she enjoyed the view. She smirked, shaking her head in disbelief as heat flashed over her skin––yet again. They had literally just spent an hour thoroughly savoring and enjoying every inch of each other's bodies and she found herself ready for more. She couldn't help wondering if this craving, this desire, this—need to be with him every minute of every day would ever subside.

She hoped not.

Leaning casually against the doorframe, Elena crossed her arms, smirking as she raised a questioning eyebrow. "Bubbles? Really?"

Turning from the bathtub, Mateo tossed his tamborita to the side and grinned at his wife. "Yes, bubbles. My special spell for getting us clean."

"And here I thought you had a quick fix for that," she said lightly.

Shrugging, Mateo said, "Eh, I do. But I thought this would be more fun. Unless—" He paused, raising an eyebrow, "you're ready to get back to work. I know you're just dying to sit down with Esteban and sign that pile of proclamations about the drainage ditch construction—"

"Nope!" Elena said quickly, holding up her hands in protest, "That won't be necessary!" Fixing him with smoldering look, she pushed herself away from the doorframe and walked smoothly across the bathroom with a sultry sway of her hips, cupping the back of his head with one hand and tangling her fingers in his chocolate curls. His heart quickened as she leaned in, her lips featherlight, brushing against his ear, murmuring, "I'd much rather enjoy a bubble bath with you, querido."

"Mmm…" Mateo replied, one side of his mouth tilting into a crooked grin as he ran his fingertips along the soft curve of her hips, her waist, her breast, and finally her cheek. Brushing his nose softly along her jawline, he said quietly, "Well, then, mi amor, ladies first."

Hating the idea of breaking contact for even a second, Elena pressed herself more closely to him as she captured his lips with her own, still cupping the back of his head, her fingers playing with the curly fringe at the nape of his neck. "I have a better idea," she murmured.

Catching on to her mood, Mateo grinned against her lips. One step, then another, he backed slowly to the edge of their in-ground bathtub that was really more of a small pool, guiding her along with him as their lips moved together, softly, slowly, in perfect harmony.

Pulling back, he smiled lazily with heavy lidded eyes before stepping down into the bathtub, his hands sliding with tantalizing slowness down her arms and along the curve of her waist. He pulled her to him, lowering her gently until they were standing toe to toe in the warm sudsy water.

Elena placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed lightly until he followed her into the hot, sudsy water. She settled herself with her back to him and closed her eyes, a tiny moan escaping her throat as the glorious sensation of her entire being melting in the soothing heat of the water washed over her.

"Mmm…" she groaned, resting her head against his chest, "The water is perfect mi amor, very, very nice work."

Mateo settled against the wall of the tub, snaking his arms around her middle and holding her close, fingers brushing idle little strokes around her stomach as he pressed his lips to her ear, murmuring, "Thanks, mi amor, anything for you."

Her eyes flicked to the edge of the tub. Glancing over her shoulder with a coy smile and a flutter of her eyelashes, she reached for a washcloth and handed it back to him.

"Someone, it seems, got me all dirty," she drawled. "It's only fair that you clean up the mess you made."

Mateo chuckled quietly and took the cloth, swirling it around in the hot soapy water. "Hmm…" he mused, "I suppose that would be only fair. But you'll have to scoot forward so I can get to your back."

Closing her eyes, Elena drew her knees to her chest, hugging them to her. She leaned her cheek on her arms, her hair draped over one shoulder, and sighed as Mateo began to gently rub the warm cloth over her back.

Mateo smiled, humming a quiet tune to himself as he worked diligently over her back, carefully scrubbing away at each little smudge and smear.

"Mmm…" Elena murmured, "Between your humming and your magic fingers back there, I'm about to fall asleep."

"Oh?" Mateo asked, wiping away the last smudge from her shoulder and tugging her back against him, "Well, we certainly don't want that. Perhaps there is something else I can do with my lips? Something that might provide a bit more—er—encouragement to stay awake?"

Elena gasped, tipping her head back as her toes curled in the water when he began nibbling at the soft, sensitive skin behind her ear. He knew it drove her crazy when he did that, especially when she couldn't touch him.

"Oh my—yes!" she yelped with a giggle, "That works!"

She arched her back into him, shivers of desire and need pulsing down her spine. The pulses increased as his hands wandered leisurely from her stomach in both directions—one dipping between the apex of her thighs as the other began rubbing at the lavender and green smudges that had somehow found their way to her breasts.

Spontaneously combust. She was going to burst into flames right there in the bathtub and there he was teasing her—the hand between her thighs idly stroking the sensitive skin, combined with the swishing of the water somehow enhancing the sensation. As his fingers drew tantalizingly closer to the most sensitive of places Elena knew would send her over the edge, her fingers twitched—

She needed to touch him, to hold him, to press her lips to every inch of skin she could reach. And she needed to do it now.

Surging forward, Elena scrambled, splashing water over the side of the tub as she twisted around to face Mateo, straddling his lap. Running her hands up the planes of his chest, she smirked.

"You didn't think I was going to just sit there quietly and let you have all the fun now did you?"

She smacked the water, splashing him playfully.

Mateo was leaning comfortably against the sloped back of the bathtub, grinning lazily at her when he flinched away from the splash, yelping with laughter. A small flutter of butterflies erupted in her chest at the sound of his laughter. His wet copper toned skin gleamed in the window light, his hazel eyes shining back at her from behind steam dampened chocolate curls hanging loosely like a curtain.

His gaze shifted and Elena recognized the roguish spark. He was about to retaliate, but she knew what to do. Grasping his wrists in her hands, she guided his hands to her breasts. That caught his attention. His eyes darted to hers and she flashed him a coy smile.

"You are a distracting little minx," he said though love and amusement colored his tone.

"Perhaps," she said lightly, "But I think you'll agree that we'll both have more fun this way."

Before he could utter a reply, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his, gently nibbling on his lower lip, her hands sliding behind his back to pull herself closer.

As Mateo allowed his hands and his lips to do the talking, Elena knew without a doubt that he loved her with his entire being and wanted her just as desperately as she wanted him. And as they settled themselves in the warm sudsy water, the playful teasing they'd shared transformed into that gentle rhythm of lovers.

And though her world of royal duties and responsibility waited just outside those doors, Elena allowed herself to enjoy these stolen moments with the husband she adored, content to give into the unrelenting need and desire they shared whenever possible.

To her, these moments felt like heaven and Mateo was surely an angel.


End file.
